Explanatory notes for Act 2, Scene 7 From As You Like It. Ed. Samuel Thurber, Jr. and Louise Wetherbee. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1922. (Line numbers have been altered.) __________

In this scene our acquaintance with Jaques and Duke Senior is enlarged. The philosopher meets the fool and each appreciates the other in his own way. The scene also brings Orlando and Adam to the forest. All together it is one of the most interesting in the play.

Line 4. merry: The First Lord’s idea of Jaques as merry certainly proves his lack of observation.

5. compact of jars: full of discords. Observe Shakespeare’s power of revealing a character in a few words.

6. discord in the spheres: A theory of the Greek, Pythagoras, that the heavenly bodies revolve about the earth and with each revolution a note is sounded which makes a harmony. Compare Lorenzo’s speech to Jessica in the last act of “The Merchant of Venice” where he says:

“There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims.”

11. what … merrily: What do the Duke’s words tell us of the change in Jaques?

12. Touchstone is apparently amusing himself in his new home.

13. motley: parti-colored dress of the fool. a miserable world: Jaques bethinks himself of his usual pose and heaves a deep sigh.

16. basked: to lie in warmth.

19. This is a reference to the old proverb, “Fortune favors fools.”

20. dial: probably a watch. poke: the pocket or pouch which the fool always wore.

21. lack-lustre: wanting brightness. Touchstone may have assumed the air of boredom to draw out Jaques.

22. Time and change are the two phases of life particularly interesting to Shakespeare.

28. And … tale: the word wags in line 23 may suggest a pun in tale. Are you reminded of Kipling’s ‘but that is another story’?

31. deep-contemplative: deeply observant.

32. sans: French word for without, as used in line 165.

34. only wear: the only thing to wear.

36. courtier: Touchstone is still a snob.

39. dry: retentive. This passage seems to imply that Touchstone has stored up in his brain many strange bits, which he expresses in broken phrases.

42. O … fool: Perhaps you feel that he does not have to make this wish.

44. suit: Had suit better be read as meaning petition or as meaning dress? Consider which sense better fits the situation.

45. weed: Note the play upon words and the puns which follow.

48. charter: liberty.

50. galled: vexed.

52. Why is the way plain?

55. bob: jest.

56. anatomized: See I. i. 145.

57. squandering: random. The meaning of the passage seems to be as follows: Even if a fool manages to find a weak spot with his wit, a wise man will appear ignorant of the shot: otherwise his weakness will be revealed.

63. counter: a piece of metal or ivory used for reckoning in a game. Then it comes to mean a coin when scornfully alluded to.

64. It does not take the Duke long to turn tables on Jaques. This glimpse of his former life shows the poet’s skill in enlarging our view of his characters. Such a man as Jaques could never teach men how to live.

79-82. Those holding humble position dress better than they should. The whole defense is weak, for Jaques says that he has no intention of naming any individuals and therefore he will harm no one.

87. Does Jaques welcome the interruption?

94. vein: temper.

96. inland bred: as opposed to wilder, uncultivated districts.

97. nurture: breeding.

101. The contrast of the Duke’s reply to Orlando’s threat indicates the former’s character.

106. Why should Orlando be so surprised at this courtesy?

108. The speech from here abounds in beauty of word and thought.

119. Does the Duke merely repeat the words or does he vary them in his own exquisite manner? Consider this in your reading.

122. engendered: called forth.

130. sufficed: satisfied.

136. This metaphor is one of the commonest in literature. Shakespeare uses it more than once. Compare Antonio’s speech in “The Merchant of Venice.”

“I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano; A stage where every man must play a part, And mine a sad one.”

137. pageants: What does Shakespeare mean by a pageant?

138. This is an opportunity which Jaques cannot afford to miss and there follows one of the best known and most frequently quoted passages in any of Shakespeare’s plays. The idea of the seven ages of man has been used in art and poetry many times. Jaques draws his picture from his usual cynical point of view and intends to belittle man in all his ages. All … stage: Over the Globe Theatre was the Latin motto, “Totus mundus agit histrionem,” meaning All the world plays the actor. Shakespeare did not have to go far for the introductory thought.

143. Mewling: The first syllable ought to give a hint as to the meaning.

146. Can you see the schoolboy — and perhaps sympathize with him?

147. ballad: Remember that this was a period when hundreds of love sonnets were being written, including Shakespeare’s own.